Honestly, ive never seen any of those pieces of equipment out here in New Mexico...( wit the exception of the walk behind leaf blower..Im guessing thats a midwest to eastcoats thing, considering we dont have large lots with HUGE amnts of leaves out here in the desert southwest...

The truck loaders seem like they would be hella expensive, and you would have to have the truck super close to the pile?...That situation would almost never happen in the area I service..

I figure I could get away with two guys using backpacks blowing onto a tarp,,hauling the tarp to the trailer, and repeat.

What isn't super expensive? It all seems to cost a lot. That being said, truck loaders aren't too good. You can get a good one for a little over $3,000. When you live up north where we have lots of trees they are a necessity if you have a lot of lawns. You need to be quick and leaf loaders will pick them up quickly and get them in the dump truck/trailer. Go to the dump and press a button and watch them go away. No more loading truck with tarps and making a million trips. Leaf loaders really reduce the volume too. You don't have to get too close. Most leaf loaders will have a hose of 15 to 20 feet.

Our wheeled leaf blower is great too. Many of our customers live near woods and we can just blow the leaves right in there. Our Billy Goat wheel blower can do more blowing than several backpacks. The only side is they aren't real maneuverable.